Leaking stove

[curlass24]

Hi all,

 

We are 4 months in to living on a boat for the first time and are currently heating it using a multi fuel stove which has been geat.

 

However last night our Co2 alarm went of and we could smell smoke coming down the boat, but it wasn't obvious where this was coming from.

 

Any hints / suggestions on where to look and how to resolve this?

 

Thanks!

 

Malc

[alan_fincher]

Starting with the obvious......

 

Are you keeping the flue well swept out?

 

Are you confident there is not a build up of soot, rust, and other stuff on top of any baffle plate that sits between the fire and the chimney?

 

Do all door seals appear to be in good order?

Is the glass in good order, with an undamaged gasket around the edge, and all bolts or clips that hold it in place all present?

Are you keeping the emptied ash from the ash pan anywhere inside your accommodation space?

[Alan de Enfield]

Starting with the obvious......

 

Are you keeping the flue well swept out?

 

Are you confident there is not a build up of soot, rust, and other stuff on top of any baffle plate that sits between the fire and the chimney?

 

Do all door seals appear to be in good order?

 

Is the glass in good order, with an undamaged gasket around the edge, and all bolts or clips that hold it in place all present?

 

Are you keeping the emptied ash from the ash pan anywhere inside your accommodation space?

 

Good 'checklist' but add :

 

Check fire 'body' if it is cast-iron they can (and do) crack - check at the back as well as the front, sides and top - check the joints as well.

Flue to top of fire joint collar (is it 'sound' has cement fallen out) ?

Any joints in the flue - are they 'sound'

Did you have a window open and the wind change blowing the gasses back into the boat ?

 

Edit : Dum auto curruction !!!

Edited January 9, 2017 by Alan de Enfield

[Arthur Marshall]

How old is the stove? Mine burnt out round the flue collar which turned out to be a very thin bit of steel, not the whacking great bit of cast iron that should have been there (and now is).

[ditchcrawler]

We had a stove with a top entry chimney, the blank on the rear entry fell right out one day

[Iain_S]

It is also possible for smoke (yours or someone else's !) to enter through windows and other ventilation.

 

Our CO alarm has gone off a couple of times when the stove hasn't been lit.

[Chewbacka]

Something else to check-

Is there a wood or tiled surface close to the stove? Any evidence of overheating?

If a tiled surface is close and getting very hot are the tiles on wood or ply board? If so is the back of the board charring?

[BargeeSpud]

If you make the mistake I did once & leave a full, hot ash can on the hearth you CO alarm will go off because the hot ash will still be giving off CO.

 

Another place to check with the stove is inside the firebox immediately below the flue. This area can have a plate below it & the space will fill with ash reducing the effectiveness of the flue.

 

Hope you find the cause quickly & that it's something simple. Good luck,

[Guest]

Recently had similar probs, but only smelt smoke/fumes, purchased a SMOKE PELLET from local hardware store cost me £1, cut it in half so I could test as was, then had enough to retest after repairs.

Faults found= leakage round door glass, replaced all seals round glass & doors including the lower ash door. large plate at back of stove leaking, & join where chimney joins fire at top of fire. Cleaned off old cement & re-semented. None of these were obvious until I used the smoke pellet. For the cost & safety its worth doing every thing not take chances.

Also as some else suggested we were getting smothered by the boat next to us till he moved.

Hope you sort it ok

[Brian M]

When in the marina ,especially in recent foggy weather,smoke from our neighbours gets drawn into our boat. Has set alarm off once. I expect our may also be drawn downwind to the next. Sometimes looks like a scene from a Dickensian story.

[curlass24]

Thanks so much for the advice gys, will go through the list when I'm home this evening.

 

We had two boats more up close to us yesturday and are now cramped in so this could well be it!

cheers

 

[Nightwatch]

We had a stove with a top entry chimney, the blank on the rear entry fell right out one day

 

Same here.

[nbfiresprite]

A soild fuel stove "can on occasion send smoke back into the room" when a sudden strong downdraft forces the smoke backdown the flue and out the the stove air vent. This is a more common problem with open firesplaces

[Cheshire cat]

Screw a load of newspaper up, put it in the stove and set fire to it. When it is well alight get someone outside to put a cap on the chimney and close down the vents on the fire. If you haven't got a cap a saucepan the right way up will do.

 

The fire will go out and lots of smoke generated. You will be able to see where it leaks from.

 

Alternatively you can buy smoke pellets from B&Q for £6.00ish but newspaper will do the same job.